NDTV is proudly showcasing the production line of the Tejas Mk1A.
NDTV is also happy to announce that Tejas Mk2 is projected to begin it's maiden flight by the end of this year. Then the Mk2 is expected to be ready for manufacture by 2030.
As of
, Mk. 2 was targeting rollout by early 2026 and first flight by the end of that year. So either something altogether unprecedented has occurred to bring those timelines forward in recent months or, more likely, NDTV has their wires crossed. Notably, the "end of the year" date given @04:42 for first flight of Mk. 2 was not a direct statement by HAL Director D. K. Sunil, but an NDTV voiceover derived from who knows what.
EDIT: From the
, it is clear that NDTV has misinterpreted HAL Director D. K. Sunil's comments. He said that the first Mk. 2 prototype should rollout by the end of this financial year, which is 31st March 2026 (which aligns with the above linked article from a few months back). He also says that first flight should then occur by the "end of the year, early next year". NDTV has interpreted this as referring to first flight by the end of
this year, when he was actually referring to first flight by the end of 2026 or early 2027 (again in line with the above linked article). While the relevant line is somewhat ambiguous, the context around it (including discussion of a six month delay between rollout and first flight) makes the true meaning clear, and NDTV has simply got it wrong in their condensed presentation.
